Lift Off..

Matilda walked yesterday.. all by herself for the very first time.  About 5 steps in the morning and 7 steps in the afternoon, with lots of little walks during the day.  We've seen a couple today too, haven't been able to catch a photo of it yet though.  Yay Matilda!

The perfect rug...

I think I have found the perfect rug for our front room.

Our front door opens into what is meant to be a formal lounge room with a dining room next door.   We are never going to use a formal lounge and at the moment all the room has in it is our piano and an old wooden filing cabinet that we're using as a hall table.

We do use the dining room as a dining room and both rooms open on to each other so we've been struggling for ages to work out what we want to do with the front room. 

I also don't really like having a front door opening straight into a room so I wanted to make it feel like a proper entry in a way.

Anyway... we had the brain wave about a month ago to turn this room into a library, we are big readers in this household and never have enough book storage.  So we're going to buy some book shelves for around the 3 walls and I wanted a nice black and white rug and I think a big comfy arm chair and ottoman to sit on it.  I think that plus a proper little hall table or writing desk right next to the front door is going to make this room work for us.

We're saving up at the moment to get the house painted before we really begin all of this, but I think I have found the rug that I want..

It's from here and I absolutely love it.  It's not available until December but that's ok, hopefully by then we should be about ready to get the painting underway.

I can't wait to do all the things we have planned for our little house. 

Plum

I'm sneaking in another photo of Matilda for colour week.  Mainly because this plum dress is one of my favourites, especially in winter when she could wear it with tights and a top underneath.

My project for this weekend also involves plum, I have miles of this fabric to turn into 8 curtains for my school teacher sister's classroom.

I've had the fabric for ages and my sister has looked after Matilda almost every day for me this week while I had to work, so I really need to get it done for her.

This is it for colour week, it's been fun.  Thanks Meg. 

Chestnut

There is only one thing I could possibly pick for chestnut... my little brown-eyed girl.

Tomorrow, plum.

Goldenrod

With work and the dust storm around today I was fast running out of time to find anything golden-yellow.  So these marigolds planted on our decks at the cafe will have to do.

Crappy photograph and all.

Tomorrow... Chestnut

Burnt Sienna

Today is burnt sienna, a lovely colour but I wasn't sure what I was going to find to take a photograph of.

Then I remembered, they've been burning off all the undergrowth in the state forests near my mum & dad's house before bush fire season, catching some of the smaller trees at the same time.

When I got to mum & dad's house I realised my little brother's dog fit the bill quite nicely too.

Tomorrow's colour, goldenrod.

Brick Red

Elsie Marley is hosting a Colour Week to celebrate the coming of Autumn in the northern hemisphere.  I thought I'd play along, despite being Down Under.  The colours are based on crayola crayon names... remember them?  I had forgotten all the cool names that those crayons had.

Today is Brick Red, and there's a fair bit of that popping up around my house lately.

And the handbag currently in use, sitting at my front door so I don't have to run around like a crazy lady trying to find it before I leave the house tomorrow.

I've had a habit lately of having a mild panic attack because I think I've lost my wallet but I really just can't remember where I put it after getting Matilda and all her stuff in or out of the car with me... so now, beside the front door it sits.

Tomorrow... Burnt Sienna.

Settling in

These days, I find that even when we just go away for a few days it seems to take me about a week to settle back in to things and start functioning properly again. 

So this weekend was all about getting back into the swing of things..

Running a few errands, a bit of shopping (the macaroons + flowers), a bit of baking (cupcakes), a bit of swimming and a whole lot of washing.

Feels like I've been gone for ages...

But really it's only been a week.  Still, I didn't mean to disappear like that.

We have just come back from a weekend in Darwin for my sister-in-law's 40th birthday.  We did know we were going but I had planned on posting before we left.  Time has an annoying habit of getting away from me.

It was a fun trip - checking out a new place, having a party and catching up with all our family from Melbourne. But two middle of the night flights with a 1 year old were not that much fun so I am glad to be home.

Now I can't remember where I was up to before we left, if that makes sense.

Interview

A couple of weeks ago Amber from the  Giverslog interviewed me.  Her blog is dedicated to great ideas and thoughts on gifts so that's what my interview is about.

 You can check it out here...















Thanks Amber!  It was fun.

Very 1st Haircut

Matilda had her very first real hair cut today, at a proper hair dressers and all.

It was becoming a bit of a mop so a lot of it got cut off to even it all out so it will grow back into a nice bob-shape.  That's the plan anyway.

I think it makes her look a bit grown up.

We've had lots of errands to run today... I thought we'd be out for hours, so I'm quite surprised to be sitting down at nearly 5pm having a cup of tea while Matilda is playing with her toys.    Don't you love days where you get everything done you needed to and it doesn't take nearly as much time as you though.

Plus on my errands I dropped in to an Op Shop on a whim and came out with 2 vintage sheets.. I never find sheets at Op Shops!

I plan on using the top one as backing for a picnic quilt I've been wanting to make for a long time.  Not sure how the other one will end up.   I am loving this bunting made out of vintage sheets though... we'll have to see if my sheet finding luck will continue.

Anyway... back to the routine, time for a bath and to get dinner ready. 

Rittenhouse

I really really want to buy these for Matilda.  How great are they?  They're by Rittenhouse.

They seem to be sold out everywhere online though.  Now's where I decide how obsessed with them I am going to become and whether or not to call all their QLD stockists. 

Hmmm, I think I am fairly obsessed.

Happy Fathers Day

Hope all the Dad's out there had a lovely Father's Day today.

We celebrated with a family brunch this morning.

Of corn cakes with bacon and creme fraiche.

And mulberry pancakes with strawberries and cream.

While the Dad's and other family men played with G's new Wii Resort (The fencing looks really fun, but I haven't been able to have a turn yet!).

Under the weather pt 2

It didn't.

Under the weather

I don't know where it came from but both Matilda and I have colds and are feeling a bit sorry for ourselves. 

So basically our entire activity today including pulling books off the shelves and then reading them.

Or should I say reading 2 of them, over and over and over again.

I am hoping to wake up tomorrow with the runny noses miraculously gone. Fingers crossed.

In my head

wondering: how people find the energy to do it all

thinking: about the future - all the things I think would like to do and wondering if i should actually do them.  Deep, I know :)

wishing: we could start our planned house projects all at once, and all tomorrow

sewing: hopefully a few more pieces for matilda's summer wardrobe

writing: lists of presents to buy/make for all the birthdays in the latter half of the year and even Christmas!

hoping: to start using my time more effectively

wanting: a new handbag, but i can't find the one that exists in my head

laughing: at matilda's new found ability to climb onto her chair and read books to herself, then grinning up and me because she thinks she's very clever

needing: to go to sleep, but feeling like 9.15 is too early

planning: for father's day brunch and going to darwin next weekend

happy: that tomorrow little bubbles and i are staying home with no real plans other than a load of washing and stacking the dishwasher

Here we go again...

Craft night again tonight, they seem to be coming around quickly lately.  2009 is slipping by very quickly people!

We decided a few important things like:

1. Last craft night for the year will be in November and we may make christmassy crafts and have a break-up party (like we're back in school).

2. Craft nights will continue next year and will continue to involve dinner (a very important point).

3. We will all put in suggestions for some workshops for a future craft nights so we can all work on the same projects at once every now and then.

I'm feeling very official and like we need a club name now :)

Because we've been experiencing some warmer weather up here it was time to break out a more summery menu so we had white chocolate panna cotta with passionfruit syrup for desert.

The recipe is from this book and it's definitely on my list of things to make again. Yummo.

I finally finished some yo-yos to add to a singlet top for Matilda to go with the skirt I made her about a month ago.

And one of my lovely auntys bought me this plant for a gift, just because. Isn't it pretty?

Hopefully I can look after it. I did some work in our garden last week and planted a couple of camellias only to find one dragged out of the ground and half way across our yard this afternoon by a stupid scrub turkey.